Case Number 07954

ALEXANDER

The Charge

"Fortune favors the bold." -- Virgil

"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were
no more worlds to conquer." -- Hans Gruber

Opening Statement

One of the most maligned movies of 2004 is...not that bad. In a fine example
of how critics and Hollywood gang up on a movie before anybody has seen it,
Oliver Stone delivers an epic take on the life of Alexander the Great. Not up to
par with the great Hollywood epics, but not as bad as the critical cheap shots
may lead you to believe.

Facts of the Case

The incredible life of Alexander the Great is epic movie material if I've
ever seen any. His rise to ruler of The World by his mid twenties is chronicled
here (with noticeable gaps in the timeline). His personal life is just as
fascinating as his public one. His decidedly odd family life (as depicted by
Stone, anyway) and his lovers (both male and female) are just as integral to the
story as his military victories. Perhaps, the ultimate momma's boy just wanted
to be loved.

The Evidence

Let's get this out of the way right now: I am an Olive Stone apologist. I
have great respect for him as a filmmaker and have enjoyed everything he's done
to some extent.

Like Lawrence of Arabia (my favorite historical epic),
Alexander begins with the death of the protagonist (and no, giving
something away that happens in the first 60 seconds of the movie is not a
spoiler). That's probably where the comparisons end. Where Lawrence's
script was literate and witty, this one uses a sledgehammer where a light tap
would probably work. However, is that not Oliver Stone filmmaking? JFK,
Platoon, Natural Born Killers...these are not works of
subtlety.

We immediately fall into the biopic trap of trying to show the roots of
almost every quirk (and, of course, tragic flaw) in our hero's youth.
Alexander's (Colin Farrell) Rosebud is his wild woman mother (Angelina Jolie).
She is the wife of Phillip, king of Macedonia (Val Kilmer) and has some
relationship issues. Angelina's campy performance has been the most maligned
aspect of the movie as far as I can see. Yes, it's over the top. It seems to
belong in another movie. However, historical epics are rife with this kind of
kooky overacting (see any performance in The Ten Commandments). In
my opinion, she's not a deathblow to the movie.

Anthony Hopkins is Ptolemy, our narrator. This sort of narration usually
strikes me as a postproduction act of desperation to make up for spotty
storytelling. This is no exception. In my opinion, if a movie is well told,
there is almost never a need for narration. However, Sir Anthony's distinguished
and soothing tones seem to class up almost any proceeding. His Ptolemy is
perched in Alexandria long after the events of the movie and provides the frame
story for Alexander.

We are introduced to Alexander, where else but his mother's bed. King
Phillip is partying with his buddies and mom is filling Alexander's head with
tales of Achilles and the Gods. She even implies that Alexander himself may be
of divine origin. And I thought my mom pushing me to be a dentist was bad.
Without giving away too much, Kilmer and Jolie ham it up big time. We are not
talking Ward and June Cleaver here.

We are then quickly introduced to the love of Alexander's life, Hephaistion
(Jared Leto). Unfortunately, Leto is not given much to do in the role except
stare at Farrell longingly and be there for a hug every now and then. Much to-do
has been made of the relationship as depicted between Hephaistion and Alexander.
I for one, think it did not go far enough. There is much historical basis in the
life of Alexander -- and ancient Greek culture, for that matter -- for a
homosexual relationship. Prior to our Judeo-Christian value structure, this was
really no big deal. It was what it was. I think Stone wimped out a bit here.
When I heard all the buzz about the allegedly graphic depictions, I was prepared
for more. Oliver must have caved to studio pressure to tone it down a bit. All
in all, much ado about nothing.

After all the relationships are established, Alexander has to get busy
conquering the world. It is here that the movie stumbles a bit. I was especially
confused by the centerpiece big battle. Spatially, I had no idea what was going
on. In this post-Lord of the Rings world, I have seen one too many huge
digital armies charging at each other. The novelty has worn off, I'm afraid.
Alexander then goes on to tell its story with far too many flashbacks
(and even one flash-forward, I think). I believe this was toned down a bit in
the shorter director's cut and the story made more linear. Not having
viewed it, I cannot say so with any authority.

About half way through the movie, Alexander marries a wildcat tribeswoman
named Roxane (Rosario Dawson) whose main character traits seem to be pouting and
getting it on. Some attempt is made to establish a love triangle between
Alexander, Roxane, and Hephaistion. There is never any doubt, however, that
Hephaistion is really Alexander's true love. Roxane disappears and reappears, as
the plot requires, in an underwritten role. When she's introduced in a bit of
intrigue late in the movie, it's too little, too late.

At this point, we need to consider Colin Farrell's performance as Alexander.
Colin does not command the screen in the way that is typical for this kind of
biopic. I think we have a case of a good character actor in a place where a
larger-than-life leading man is needed. Say what you will about that hammy
Charlton Heston, but try to close your eyes and picture anyone else as Moses.
That guy could carry a big movie. Colin's performance is neither brilliant nor
embarrassing. I think he delivered exactly what Oliver Stone asked of him.
Unfortunately, I don't think this is the kind of project that plays to Mr.
Farrell's strengths.

The typical epic structure of triumphs, followed by big failures, is
followed here. We are left with a sometimes fascinating, but sometimes
frustrating film of an incredible life. I am not sure why Alexander was
doomed before it was ever released. In a year that saw Catwoman, Van
Helsing, and The Whole Ten Yards among numerous other duds, I'll
never know why the daggers were out for this one months before its release. It's
not nearly the train wreck many critics have depicted it to be. I appreciate
risk taking in movie making. Oliver Stone was swinging for the fences here and
certainly not playing it safe. If you want to see something completely by the
numbers and innocuous, rent Cheaper by the Dozen. I guarantee you won't
be offended or challenged.

A few words about video and audio. I found the 2:40:1 anamorphic transfer to
be beautiful with no apparent issues to be had. Dolby Digital 5.1 audio was loud
with thundering subwoofer action when the battles called for it. I found there
to be a bit less atmospheric background sounds going on than you usually find in
a dynamic, recent release like this one. Minor quibble aside, I found the sound
to be immersive and appropriate to the epic content.

The main extra here is a commentary from Oliver Stone and historian Robin
Lane Fox. Oliver has always given good commentary and can certainly talk the
entire time himself without much down time. As usual, Oliver gives a good
balance of production info and character/story info. Mr. Lane Fox is a bit too
enamored of Mr. Stone and there is a little too much back-patting for the movie
in general and Oliver in particular. His main contribution is to point out how
little is known of Alexander's life. This dearth of information mainly means the
screenwriters were free make up most of the details.

The "making of" portion is divided into three sections and mainly
consists of fly-on-the-wall observation of the production mixed with interviews
with the primaries. A little better than the typical puff pieces you see on an
HBO behind the scenes feature, but nothing earth-shattering here. It does a good
job of chronicling how hard it is to wrangle extras and to shoot a production
this big, though.

DVD-ROM content is also included. As usual, it doesn't work on my Apple
iBook. It was not reviewed. Perhaps one day I'll find ROM content that works in
my computer. All in all, I give the extras pretty high marks. There is quality
but not much quantity.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

At times confusing in it's timeline. Too much scenery chewing by virtually
everyone involved. Does the Director's Cut improve this film? I cannot say, but
I recommend you start with this one and if interested view the Director's
Cut.

Closing Statement

Alexander is a workable and sometimes fascinating historical epic. It
certainly doesn't deserve the drubbing it got in the press. Wonderful
cinematography and a fascinating subject are undermined by uneven performances
and some poor storytelling decisions, but there's a lot to like. I'll take my
history this way instead of as an over sentimentalized bit of claptrap like
The Patriot or Pearl Harbor any day. Forget the buzz and check it
out. Rent it. If, like me, you find much to enjoy there are plenty of
copies on any used DVD rack. Give it a chance and make the decision for
yourself. My bet is you'll find a lot to appreciate.

The Verdict

I pronounce a hung jury. Alexander has proven divisive among fans and
critics, though that is par for the course for many Oliver Stone movies. A great
DVD presentation is a good way to give this movie a fair day in court.